Sponsors (2)
The bill expands who can prescribe cardiac and pulmonary rehab and clarifies permitted delivery locations—improving access and convenience for Medicare beneficiaries but likely increasing Medicare costs and causing short-term billing/compliance uncertainty for providers.
Medicare beneficiaries with cardiac or pulmonary conditions will gain faster and broader access to rehabilitation because physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists can now prescribe the required exercise.
Medicare beneficiaries will likely have more convenient access to rehab services because clarifying the eligible location as 'the office setting' allows more Medicare-covered delivery sites.
Taxpayers and the Medicare program could face higher spending because expanding authorized prescribers may increase utilization of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services.
Health care providers and state governments may face billing and compliance uncertainty during implementation if the statutory phrasing of 'the office setting' is broader than prior language, creating administrative burden and potential disputes.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Allows PAs, NPs, and CNSs to prescribe exercise for Medicare cardiac and pulmonary rehab and changes "physician’s office" to "office setting."
Amends Medicare definitions for cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation to broaden where cardiac rehab can occur and who may prescribe the required exercise. Specifically, it replaces the phrase "a physician’s office" with "the office setting" for cardiac rehabilitation locations and allows exercise to be prescribed not only by physicians but also by physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists. These changes apply to items and services furnished on or after six months after enactment.
Official title: Amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand and expedite access to cardiac rehabilitation programs and pulmonary rehabilitation programs under the Medicare program, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 25, 2025 by Shelley Moore Capito · Last progress February 25, 2025